Creating a temporary tablespace in SQL

01 Oct 2023

Database

In SQL, a temporary tablespace is used to store temporary data that is created and used during the execution of a database session. Temporary tablespaces are typically used for sorting, joining, and other temporary operations. In this article, we will discuss how to create a temporary tablespace in SQL.

Syntax

The syntax for creating a temporary tablespace in SQL is as follows:

CREATE TEMPORARY TABLESPACE tablespace_name
TEMPFILE 'tempfile_path'
SIZE size_in_bytes
AUTOEXTEND ON NEXT autoextend_bytes

Let’s break down each component of the syntax:

CREATE TEMPORARY TABLESPACE specifies the command to create a temporary tablespace.
tablespace_name is the name of the temporary tablespace.
TEMPFILE specifies the keyword to create the tempfile associated with the temporary tablespace.
tempfile_path is the location where the tempfile will be created.
SIZE specifies the initial size of the tempfile in bytes.
AUTOEXTEND ON NEXT specifies that the tempfile should automatically extend when it reaches its maximum capacity.
autoextend_bytes specifies the amount by which the tempfile should extend when it reaches its maximum capacity.

Example

Let’s say we want to create a temporary tablespace called “temp” with an initial size of 100MB and autoextend by 50MB. Here’s how we can do it:

CREATE TEMPORARY TABLESPACE temp
TEMPFILE '/path/to/tempfile.dbf'
SIZE 100M
AUTOEXTEND ON NEXT 50M;

In the above example, we specified the name of the temporary tablespace as “temp” and provided the location for the tempfile as “/path/to/tempfile.dbf”. We set the initial size of the tempfile to 100MB and configured it to automatically extend by 50MB when it reaches its maximum capacity.

Once the temporary tablespace is created, it can be used by the database for sorting, joining, and other temporary operations.

Summary

Creating a temporary tablespace in SQL is a straightforward process. By following the syntax mentioned above, you can create a temporary tablespace to handle temporary data storage during database sessions. Remember to configure the size and autoextend settings according to your requirements.

#SQL #Database